Anyone on Lamictal AND Keppra?

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Just come back from seeing my doctor (not 100% happy with how the appointment went, and was basically told despite my last EEG being 13 years ago, which they have lost the results to, it's gonna be hard to get me another one because of restrictions put on referals due to funding! I'm in the UK, incidentally), and I have been put on Keppra as well as my current med, Lamictal.

I'm on 150mg Lamictal in the morning, and 100mg at night. And we're starting off the dose of Keppra slowly, obviously.

So...my question is to anyone taking both - how do you find it? What about side effects? Lamictal, for me, contrarily, has increased my appetite, and I'm deathly scared of Keppra adding to this.

Any input would be fab. Thanks guys!

Comments

Hi betty. Did you have a

Submitted by NErin on Tue, 2018-02-06 - 09:09

Hi betty. Did you have a child? I'm on both meds combined too. Thanks

I'm scared to add Lamictal to

Submitted by Irelynn321 on Fri, 2018-08-03 - 13:26

I'm scared to add Lamictal to my already 4000mg of Keppra for control if simple partial seizures. I've bee on every anti convulsant there are . None have ever seem to completely remove my seizures. I take Keppra now up to 4000 mg a day and 60 mg of Duloxetine a day and I was doing good for about a month but in the last 3 days I've had 3 seizures one day to 2 another and another the other night. Mine are pretty easy compared to some of these stories I've read but my doctor says if I quit taking some of this stuff I could get it to an advanced condition of grand mal seizures. I worry about all the side effects I've been on these meds for 28 years and I'm also a type 1 diabetic so I have low blood sugars to deal with and take So Many Meds a day it really scares me. Has anybody else gone through some of these frustrations? I'm also worried about all the side effects.

Short summary: Using KEPPRA

Submitted by Max Pucker Factor on Sat, 2018-08-11 - 15:23

Short summary: Using KEPPRA has made me less dependent on Lamictal and allowed me to quit using Dilantin; I have also added VIMPAT to further reduce Lamictal. more detailsIn August 2003 I suffered a dissecting thoracic aortic aneurysm and managed to survive long enough to then survive emergency open heart surgery and then 30 days in an induced coma. I was, quite literally, only minutes from death when I drove myself to the hospital (long story).Eventually, I was released but after about 3-4 months I began suffering TIA's (not properly identified) which combined to eventually equal what my neurologist (Dr. B) called a "mini-stroke". In 2006/07 I began to have seizures which the same doctor began treating with 25 mg of Lamictal 1/day increasing it 400/day before getting it under control. It seems that the typical stroke damage (balance, headache, cognition, memory, movement, etc) has gradually progressed to seizures (which SUCKS because I haven't driven or traveled alone in 10 years,)Note that about the same time Dr. B began treating me with Dilantin which helped me feel better and probably reduced seizures BUT - it oftentimes completely "disconnected" my leg functions from my upper body functions; i.e. I could be sitting in a chair feeling fine (with no abnormal feelings in my legs) , and then do a face plant when I tried to stand and walk. (IMHO Dilantin VERY SCARY SHIT - don't ever take it).I eventually transferred to a new neurologist (at our local VA hospital) that immediately began switching me off of Dilantin to KEPPRA; overall, that seems to have worked well as a replacement for the Dilantin; however I was still using 200 to 300 mg/day of Lamictal, therefore, Dr. T added VIMPAT in an attempt to wean me off of the Lamictal and get me down to only two AED. The combination of KEPPRA and VIMPAT and Lamictal seems to work pretty well w/Lamictal at 50 mg AM and 75-100 mg PM; however, I still have seizures (>90% at night while asleep with zero memory of >75% of those - GF is the witness) and once every 3-4 months during the day. The weirdest thing is that Lamictal eventually builds up to toxic levels and causes what I call the "wobbles" which is a MUCH milder form of the problem caused by Dilantin; when that happens I cut the dosage for a day and things seem to go back to normal.So - I'm an aerospace engineer and not your doctor but I'd NOT BE TERRIFIED of KEPPRA (just be sitting down when you get the invoice). And, as always use any/all meds under close supervision, especially when working on a new combo.Good luck.Max Pucker Factor

Short summary: Using KEPPRA has made me less dependent on Lamictal and allowed me to quit using Dilantin; I have also added VIMPAT to further reduce Lamictal.  more detailsIn August 2003 I suffered a dissecting thoracic aortic aneurysm and managed to survive long enough to then survive emergency open heart  surgery and then 30 days in an induced coma. I was, quite literally, only minutes from death when I drove myself to the hospital (long story).Eventually, I was released but after about 3-4 months I began suffering TIA's (not properly identified) which combined to eventually equal what my neurologist (Dr. B) called a "mini-stroke".  In 2006/07 I began to have seizures which the same doctor began treating with 25 mg of Lamictal 1/day increasing it 400/day before getting it under control.  It seems that the typical stroke damage (balance, headache, cognition, memory, movement, etc)  has gradually progressed to seizures (which SUCKS because I haven't driven  or traveled alone in 10 years,)Note that about the same time Dr. B began treating me with Dilantin which helped me feel better and probably reduced seizures BUT - it oftentimes completely "disconnected" my leg functions from my upper body functions; i.e. I could be sitting in a chair feeling fine (with no abnormal feelings in my legs) , and then do a face plant when I tried to stand and walk.  (IMHO Dilantin VERY SCARY SHIT - don't ever take it).I eventually transferred to a new neurologist (at our local VA hospital) that immediately began switching me off of Dilantin to KEPPRA; overall, that seems to have worked well as a replacement for the Dilantin; however I was still using 200 to 300 mg/day of Lamictal, therefore, Dr. T added VIMPAT in an attempt to wean me off of the Lamictal and get me down to only two AED.  The combination of KEPPRA and VIMPAT and Lamictal seems to work pretty well w/Lamictal at 50 mg AM and 75-100 mg PM; however, I still have seizures (>90% at night while asleep with zero memory of >75% of those - GF is the witness) and once every 3-4 months during the day.  The weirdest thing is that Lamictal eventually builds up to toxic levels and causes what I call the "wobbles" which is a MUCH milder form of the problem caused by Dilantin; when that happens I cut the dosage for a day and things seem to go back to normal.So - I'm an aerospace engineer and not your doctor but I'd NOT BE TERRIFIED of KEPPRA (just be sitting down when you get the invoice).  And, as always use any/all meds under close supervision, especially when working on a new combo.Good luck.Max Pucker Factor

Short summary: Using KEPPRA has made me less dependent on Lamictal and allowed me to quit using Dilantin; I have also added VIMPAT to further reduce Lamictal. more detailsIn August 2003 I suffered a dissecting thoracic aortic aneurysm and managed to survive long enough to then survive emergency open heart surgery and then 30 days in an induced coma. I was, quite literally, only minutes from death when I drove myself to the hospital (long story).Eventually, I was released but after about 3-4 months I began suffering TIA's (not properly identified) which combined to eventually equal what my neurologist (Dr. B) called a "mini-stroke". In 2006/07 I began to have seizures which the same doctor began treating with 25 mg of Lamictal 1/day increasing it 400/day before getting it under control. It seems that the typical stroke damage (balance, headache, cognition, memory, movement, etc) has gradually progressed to seizures (which SUCKS because I haven't driven or traveled alone in 10 years,)Note that about the same time Dr. B began treating me with Dilantin which helped me feel better and probably reduced seizures BUT - it oftentimes completely "disconnected" my leg functions from my upper body functions; i.e. I could be sitting in a chair feeling fine (with no abnormal feelings in my legs) , and then do a face plant when I tried to stand and walk. (IMHO Dilantin VERY SCARY SHIT - don't ever take it).I eventually transferred to a new neurologist (at our local VA hospital) that immediately began switching me off of Dilantin to KEPPRA; overall, that seems to have worked well as a replacement for the Dilantin; however I was still using 200 to 300 mg/day of Lamictal, therefore, Dr. T added VIMPAT in an attempt to wean me off of the Lamictal and get me down to only two AED. The combination of KEPPRA and VIMPAT and Lamictal seems to work pretty well w/Lamictal at 50 mg AM and 75-100 mg PM; however, I still have seizures (>90% at night while asleep with zero memory of >75% of those - GF is the witness) and once every 3-4 months during the day. The weirdest thing is that Lamictal eventually builds up to toxic levels and causes what I call the "wobbles" which is a MUCH milder form of the problem caused by Dilantin; when that happens I cut the dosage for a day and things seem to go back to normal.So - I'm an aerospace engineer and not your doctor but I'd NOT BE TERRIFIED of KEPPRA (just be sitting down when you get the invoice). And, as always use any/all meds under close supervision, especially when working on a new combo.Good luck.Max Pucker Factor